Please be advised that the CVRD and David Stalker Excavating Ltd. will be working to upgrade the watermain along Chemainus Road, from Olsen Road to Reed Road. Please remember to plan for extra time to get from A to B.

This watermain upgrade is part of the 2018 watermain upgrade program. Please be advised that during the construction period, traffic disruptions may occur but will be very limited in duration. Every effort will be made to keep local disruptions to a minimum. Construction signs will be posted and flag persons will be on duty to assist with traffic flow. Please exercise caution, obey all signage placed for your safety and follow the directions of the flagpersons on duty.

On August 1st, I attended the Electoral Area Services Committee (EASC) meeting. I also met with the CVRD Water Manager, Brian Dennison, to review, the current grant application for filtration, Saltair’s water options, our Saltair Water Distribution Upgrades for 2018 and plans for the CVRD staff to hold a meeting with the Saltair community. The video link for this meeting can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qktsholxnRI

On August 8th, I attended the CVRD Board meeting and the CVRD Board Directors passed the motion for the Saltair Water Treatment Expansion Project – Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program – Green Infrastructure – Environmental Quality Sub-steam application for grant funding.

During the Public Input portion of the EASC meeting (at 14:47 – 15:37), I spoke briefly in support of the grant application. In the video, CVRD Water Manager Brian Dennison talks about the grant (at 2:12 – 2:17). The EASC Directors voted to approve the motion (at 2:30:14 – 2:32). The EASC approval moved to the August 8th CVRD Board for its approval. (That approval was granted at the 8 Aug CVRD Board meeting.)

The motion was, “That an application for grant funding through the Investing In Canada Infrastructure Program – Green Infrastructure – Environmental Quality Sub-stream for the Saltair Water Treatment Expansion Project (Electoral Area G) in the amount $6,030,000 be submitted and that subject to grant approval up to a maximum of $1,608,201 (26.67%) in short term borrowing for the Saltair Water Treatment Expansion Project be approved and that the loan be paid back over five years under the Liabilities Under Agreements Section 175 of the Community Charter.” The $6,030,000 includes a power generating station as part of the project.

As above, the grant application requires $1,608,201 of local funding. In the video, Brian Dennison describes the five- year, short-term loan option. The CVRD is suggesting the Saltair Water System can meet its local funding requirement using such a loan. Once the application has been submitted, CVRD staff will be meeting with the Saltair community to review the option of a short-term loan or taxation increase. CVRD staff will present information about the groundwater option, joining the Town of Ladysmith filtration system and other financial options for a stand-alone, Saltair filtration system (i.e., 10-year, 15-year or 20-year loans). However, coming to the community for a long-term loan at this time would take approximately six months and we would miss out on applying for the grant.

Saltair’s Water Options

In the video, Brian Dennison describes three options for Saltair water:

1) Join the Town of Ladysmith filtration system, which would involve costs to Saltair taxpayers/users approx equal to the cost of a stand-alone, Saltair filtration system.

2) Groundwater, which the CVRD is currently exploring.

3) A stand-alone filtration system.

Brian said CVRD staff will be coming to the Saltair community in the fall (Oct) to review these three options once they have data from the groundwater exploration.

Saltair’s Water Distribution Upgrades

When I met with Brian, he said many of theCVRD projects are coming in at a higher than expected cost. Because of this, the CVRD has revised its 2018 expectations. The bids will be posted shortly. The revised expectation is that the work on Chemainus Road between the PRV Station and Olsen Road will be completed and the work on Chemainus Road between Olsen Road and Southin Road and the work on Southin Road will be optional.

$258,364 of our Area G Gas Tax funds have been allocated to upgrading work on Old Victoria Road. The work will start at the North Cowichan Boundary to deal with a two-inch, 60 metre stretch. Then work will progress towards Jackman Rd. CVRD staff advise that Old Victoria work will have to be done in phases due to higher costs.

Fire Fighting Concerns

When the Chemainus Fire Department and/or the Ladysmith Fire Department attend fires in Saltair, they bring and use pumper trucks. It does not matter where you live in Saltair. The Fire Departments use pumper trucks to fight the fires. Concerns about water pressure for fighting fires is not an issue with the use of pumper trucks. The same is true for Crofton.

Old Victoria Road Watermain Upgrades for 2018

As part of the 15-year Saltair water system remediation, the tender for replacing the asbestos pipe from the Chemainus (North Cowichan) border to approximately Jackman Road will be going out to bids shortly. As there is a limited budget to work with each year to complete the upgrade work, the complete section of watermain may not be replaced this year. Work will begin at the Chemainus end and will replace the existing 2″ diameter pipe with 6″ PVC pipe. Work will continue towards Jackman Road as far as the budget will allow replacing the 4” pipe with a 6″ PVC pipe. Any remaining watermain to be upgraded will be completed in the future.

Saltair Water System was recently reviewed by the Fire Underwriters Survey and has maintained its fire insurance grading recognition. It is the understanding of the CVRD that the Saltair Water System is graded as a whole rather than individual streets or sections of the water system therefore insurance premiums should not vary throughout the water system.

At the time the water petition was circulated the pressure problem was to be addressed with a pumping station near the corner of Chemainus and Old Victoria Roads. It now appears that the pressure issue may be addressed more economically with the replacement of the smaller diameter pipes with the 6″ PVC and future looping of the system at the end of Old Victoria Road and Dogwood Road. If you experience serious pressure problem at your house but have adequate supply pipes the problem may be mitigated by replacing the roadside water service with one of larger size. The costs to upgrade the size of the water service would be paid for by the homeowner.

Finally, CVRD will be holding a public meeting on the water system in the fall. The session will present emerging information on such issues as water filtration, ground water capacities, and future remediation plans, among other topics and seek input from the community.

Saltair Society is pleased to announce the completion of the Saltair Centre roofing project.

Our Torch On roof consists of two layers of modified asphalt that are usually melted together by a torch – hence the name. This creates a roof that is resistant to ultraviolet light and a waterproof barrier, ideal for Vancouver Island’s wet and rainy climate.

View of Community Centre new torch on roofing system

Because it is tear and puncture resistant, a torch-on roof will need less repairs over its lifetime. The roofing material won’t melt in the sun or become brittle. It is fire resistant.

You can expect a long life from a properly applied torch-on roof. Because of its durability, typically a span of 20 years, if installed by a professional roofing company. The Centre’s roof was installed by TopLine Roofing and has been inspected and approved by West Coast Roofing Inspection Services.

Saltair is such a small hamlet that it isn’t on most maps, but there are many significant places with a rich history in this little unincorporated town. We marvel at our surroundings. The beauty of the ever-changing water, meadows and mountains is breath taking.

Boulder Point/Big Rock Beach at low Tide

In the fall of 2016 some members of the Saltair Community Society suggested that it would be nice to do something special for Canada’s Sesquicentennial Celebration. Among other ideas, someone asked me if I would head such a project and create a quilt that would portray the area and celebrate this special occasion.

Canada Day 150th

It had been a dream of mine for several years to create a quilt that would help represent this small community in a worthy manner and let people know about a unique way of life by those of us who have come from far and wide to live in this pristine setting. I have been a part of this community since 1975 and love how people interact and celebrate each significant holiday with each other.

Our newly created Community Centre became the perfect place for a small group of quilters to meet every week. They agreed to contribute their talents to this massive project. We called ourselves “The Saltair Quilters”. The work began in November 2016 and that is how my dream became a reality.

Winter time planning stages of the 150 Quilt.

After putting this wonderful art project together I spent a total of 64 hours quilting it. I want to make special mention of Mary Chudy from the Crofton Quilters who created and contributed the organza leaves. Then my friend Bronwen Cossey serged the quilt panels and the borders. The Saltair Quilters spent a happy day attaching the leaves in a way that represents the falling leaves of autumn and the passing of time.

Saltair Quilters

Did you find the Big Rock and Stocking Creek Falls? Look for the Old Plantation and the Station House. What about the Saltair Pub and Porter’s Dairy? There is the entrance to Diana Park and not to forget the Coastal Messenger, the ship that has been sailing these seas for many years, bringing the Good News wherever it docked. Then there is the Davis Lagoon Bridge, without which it would be impossible to access Saltair from the north end.

Ta Dahhh Here it is the Saltair 150 Quilt

To those of you who have lived in this unique community for many years and also to those of you who have found this hamlet more recently and decided to call it “home”, we are thrilled to present this quilt.

Saltair Watermain Distribution Upgrade 2017 Update

The Saltair Water System Distribution Upgrade along South Oyster School Road from Bazan Rd to Seavista Rd. Construction work is anticipated to start the week of Jun 19, 2017. The winning bid went to David Stalker Excavating Ltd. The work will consist of replacing all service connections to the property line of individual water connections, as well as increasing the size of the watermain from 4″ to 6″.

Traffic control will be onsite and disruption to the traffic flow will be minimal.

As there have been two large watermain breaks on South Oyster School Rd and these breaks have caused massive damage to private properties in the area. These upgrades will be a much needed upgrade to the Saltair Water System aging infrastructure.

The needles are flying, and the machines humming as a group of Saltair quilters puts the final stitches into a giant 10 foot quilt that will be unveiled in June as a run-up to Canada Day 150. Christa Stegemann and her crew of about 12 quilters talked with me about the significance of the project and the pleasures of quilting recently at their space in the Saltair Community Centre on South Oyster School Road.

Work on the project began about a year ago, when the quilters group heard the Saltair Community Centre was planning a grand opening event in June. What better way to recognized the the now and then of Saltair, than by coming together in the production of a commemorative quilt. “I thought that it would be a good idea to provide a quilt that would somehow reflect the local scenery, and also reflect our love of quilting,” Stegemann said.

Since then about 12 quilters have been contributing to the final hanging, each designing an artistically stitched fabric square for the overall design. As of mid-April all the scenes had been sewn onto three large panels and quilter Bronwen Cossey was getting ready to sew the panels together into the 10 ft. tapestry. Included in the mix are images of: The Big Rock, a well known landmark to most Saltairians; Stocking Creek Falls; wildlife like heron deer and gulls; a tug plowing through the dark blue waters of the Salish Sea.

“We did want to choose landmarks that most people are familiar with,” Stegemann said. “So that’s how the whole thing began, and I believe that The Big Rock was the first thing that came to our minds, because any of the children who have grown up in this area, they know about the rock.”

As well as a commemorative project, the Sesquicentennial Quilt is a demonstration of the collaborative and community-building aspects of quilting. “It certainly satisfies an artistic bent in every one of us,” Stegemann said of the quilters’ passion. But there’s much more to it. Quilt club members were chatting continuously in the background as Stegemann and I chatted. There’s a huge social component to quilting, reminiscent of pioneer bees people’s Saltairian forebears would have joined in.

As well, quilts are often contributed to the community, finding homes on the walls and beds of people who need warmth and comforting. Jackie Miller was stitching away at her machine, making a quilt that will be donated to a community organization. She belongs to a group called The Cowichan Valley Heritage Quilters. “They’re the ones that will be distributing this quilt to the community,” she said. “I think in a year we would give out about 150 quilts.”

Newcomer Sue Maycock, who took up the quilter’s needle when she joined four months ago, is planning to use contemporary quilt designs to decorate her new home. “I just decided now I’m retired, I’ve got a little bit more time, I can learn some new crafts,” she said. “I like making wall hangings. I recently moved into a house, which I’m filling up the walls with gradually, so I’ve been doing some more modern quilting – bright colours to brighten up the walls.”

There’s any number of reasons a person might want to quilt. To find out more, contact Stegemann at peaceshalome [at] telus [dot] net. The quilters meet Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to about 3 p.m. at the Saltair Community Centre. Beginners to experts are welcome. “We’re going to be offering little workshops, just to get people started,” she said. “Once they’ve started, they’re usually hooked.”

Just a short update, in case you are wondering, on the progress of our Sesquicentennial Quilt.

Last week I went on a Denman Island quilt retreat at Capernwray on Thetis Island and did nothing else for five days but quilt, quilt, quilt on our mega quilt. I am still working at it. The decision was made to actually quilt the three large panels before appliqueing the pictures. This will make it easier to place them because I will have a straight edge from which to work.

Some of our non-quilting friends have no idea what goes into making such a mega project. (even some of our quilting friends). When the panels are ready to place the pictures, I will do a little thread painting on each picture after they are attached. Then comes the job of attaching the three panels to each other – only then can the binding begin. At the very end we will collectively attach the wonderful leaves Mary Chudy made for us and a few beads to enhance some of the pictures.

It was impossible to attach the pictures to the background and get them straight before quilting it and cutting it to size. That was one of the reasons I decided to quilt it myself rather than send it out to a longarm quilter.

That’s it for today.

Happy Quilting,

Christa

A local quilting group that meet every Tuesday at the Saltair Community Centre are busying creating a large quilt to represent “Saltair” for Canada’s 150th celebration. President of the Quilting Club: Christa Stegemann, commented, “The panels on the design wall are a combined effort of several quilters. Some of our more creative quilters thoroughly enjoyed creating the scenes from some of the better known sites in Saltair. A few quilters made some of the more traditional squares. We still have a number of outstanding panels and hope to have them in our next update. Our design wall is presently a temporary, free-standing wall that I covered in white flannelette. Eventually it will be fastened to the existing wall. The wall panels are 8′ by 8′ and will be filled with scenes. Then there will be a one foot border all the way around, making the whole quilt come to 10′ by 10′.”

Auditorium Rentals

Come join Chemainus Art Group at Saltair Centre

ILM Daycare at Saltair Centre

JEM Massage Therapy

Native Flora and Fauna

View Weeky Log Dumpings from the Davis Lagoon (Saltair)

Lagoon Bridge

Information Kiosk located right next to Saltair Station House Cafe on Chemainus Rd

Saltair Neighbourhood Pub

Saltair Station House Diner

Coastal Lavender Bed & Breakfast

Local Book Shop: Saltair Bookstop

About Saltair

Saltair is a unique coastal community with superb natural beauty, nestled between the urban centres of Ladysmith and Chemainus. It is a predominantly rural community of a population of 2,325, many of whom moved to Saltair because of the panoramic ocean and mountain views, and rural ambience.

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